Allies in the Shadows
by strangemind92
Summary: Being a Guardian is easy: protect Moroi and kill Strigoi. But when an unknown enemy starts gathering an army, there's only one clear choice: call for help, even if that help is not what you expect. (Set 10 years post LS and 2 years post 4 Great Shinobi War) *Might contain spoilers! Some A/U*
1. Chapter 1

**A.N: Hey y'all! Just a few quick announcements before we begin. 1. I will update as frequently as I can, however, I am in graduate school starting this summer (yay) so it might be sporatic. 2. I have not read the _Bloodlines_ series, but I will be including details from the series that I've gathered from (basically wikipedia and other fanfics I've read) so I apologize in advance if I screw anything up. Please feel free to call me out on anything that's glaringly obvious! 3. There will be some OC's that I may or may not really get into, they are mostly there to 'set the scene' (I might write an actual backstory but that'll be its own fanfic if I do). 4. I generally watch anime in English (it depends on which I catch first) and I don't read manga (I don't like comic books in general-not to my style) so again, if I make glaring mistakes, I apologize and let me know! Finally 5. I will generally be writing in Dimitri's POV, but will switch to Third or specific characters if the plot calls for it.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing bar a few characters and the plot! The rest belongs to Richelle Mead and Masashi Kishimoto**

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Chapter 1

(DPOV)

I sighed and stretched my back, feeling the bones of my spine pop back into place one by one. I didn't mind my job, my career, but there are certainly days where the standing around and blending in really is droll at best. I stare around the room as the Council argues back and forth on another mundane, in my opinion, legislation. Things have, in some respects, calmed down whereas others have gotten worse. All the Guardians feel as if we are in a moment of strained peace, similar to the silence before a storm. The reported amount of Strigoi has decreased substantially, at least among the Moroi and Dhampir, but we have heard rumors of a large contingent of Strigoi gathering nearby. Without most of the Moroi population noticing, we have started increasing security, pulling any willing senior Novice in for ward patrol from all the schools in the U.S. To this as well, many of the schools were incorporating any senior Moroi who had taken self defense and magic combat classes and any junior Novices (both voluntary of course) to protect the schools just in case Court wasn't the target as we had determined based on the rumors. It had been months since the rumors started, however, and the Council was getting increasingly irate about having to postpone their own agendas for this "farce of a rally" and decided that things needed to get back to business as usual. The Queen was in serious doubt that the rumors were false and thought the threat was, and still is, very real, so she agreed to let Council meetings continue as normal with the stipulation that her own agenda be added at the end. To this end, most of the senior Novices were being sent back to the Academies (except those who got express permission from their institution to remain at Court and complete their schooling and training here, under the direct supervision under myself and my wife, Guardian Hathaway-Belikova, or Guardian Hathaway for those who wanted to keep it shorter.)

Speaking of her, I sought her out and saw her standing directly behind the Queen, her face completely expressionless, telling me she was completely bored and more than likely irritated by the never-ending show boating that the Royals seemed to revel in. I saw her attention shift and saw her refocus, clearly showing her interest being piqued by the conversation, so I too, tuned in to find the Queen going over her agenda and her only agreement to completely revert to "business as normal" status:

"All I'm saying, Prince Dashkov, is that if we want things to go back to normal around here, we need to consider that our Guardians simply cannot be everywhere at once. I have then decided to pull in outside help considering we are overworking the Guardians. IF we expect them to be 'battle-ready' as you put it, then we need reinforcements. You all have indicated your distain at seeing such 'lack-luster' and 'under-performing' work from the Novices who all volunteered to come here, therefor I need to make sure our Guardians have the help they need to make sure we can defend ourselves should anything occur."

"Yes, but your Majesty, there have been nothing more than these ridiculous rumors that Strigoi were going to attack. I highly doubt that they will move onto such a large compound as Court and have simply realized they could do no real damage here. That's why so many of us feel that this outside help is unnecessary and rather a waste of time and money," Prince Dashkov looked at the Queen with barely held annoyance and exasperation similar to how a parent would look at a child.

Vasilisa noticed this and narrowed her eyes, her voice never losing its politeness, "I apologize Prince Dashkov, but I fail to see how you could assume such a thing when the movement was initially noticed but somehow, they all vanished. Simply put, we have NOT seen ANY movement, telling me that they were waiting for this. They, somehow, managed to rally behind someone, again, long enough to hold out and keep quiet until we fell into a sense of peace and arrogance. Therefore, I believe that we need to stop hiding and being defensive. The 'old ways' are no longer applicable. The Strigoi are willing to change and find new and different tactics. We have started moving forward somewhat by being more involved with human government agencies that we deem trustworthy and it has been working for us, so far. But, they are getting bolder and more dangerous, especially since we have started finding and making anti-Strigoi vaccines and charms. A big source of Strigoi are being cut off from them, except those who choose of course, and they are getting desperate. I also have reason to believe their new 'leader' is not a Strigoi at all, so we need to level the playing field. I am to the point of not asking permission any longer because my people, our people, are potentially in danger and I cannot take a risk where the stakes are their lives! I would appreciate your support, but if I must, I will do this without your vote as an executive decision."

The entire room was silent, stunned that the normally gentle and compromising Queen would threaten executive overrule. Some of the council members seemed to realize that the threat must be real enough for the Queen to go this far. Vasilisa noticed this and sat back slightly before continuing, "now, will you approve the request I have made so I may send it to the group I have contacted to let them know we will hire them?"

One by one, the hands slowly began to go up: first the Dragomir Princess regent raised her hand and Vasilisa practically glowed at her half-sister. After her, the Taurus, Drozdov, Ozera, Conta, and Badica raised their hands in near succession. Voda, Lazar, and Szelsky followed soon after, but all three looked rather apprehensive at the notion. Only Ivashkov, Dashkov, and Zeklos remained steadfast in their belief that this was ludicrous and waste of time and money. Vasilisa looked pleased that most of the families agreed to let her go ahead with the proposal with the unknown "mercenaries". She stood up, calling this council meeting to an end and the members dispersed, save for Christian and Jill, the former had been sitting off to the side and behind Vasilisa as more of moral support for her than anything. She motioned for the remaining guardians to be dismissed other than Eddie, Rose, and myself. We all walked in silence back to Vasilisa and Christian's house (more like mansion in my opinion) as the sun began to rise.

Once we were behind closed doors, everyone instantly relaxed and began the routine of winding down for the day. Eddie practically crashed onto one of the couches, dragging Jill down along with him who instantly grabbed his feet and gently rubbed them after pulling off his shoes. Rose claimed the large armchair while Lissa (now that she was "off-duty" as well) laid across the second couch after she took off her blazer and heels. Christian and I went into the kitchen and threw together some drinks and snacks since most of us would be heading to bed, except Rose who was pulling a double shift in order to make sure everything was prepared for the classes and our "guests", especially since she would be being taken off of the Court roster to complete everything.

I placed a mug of mocha in front of her and her eyes lit up. We found out while her and Lissa were in school that she loved very sweet coffee especially if it had chocolate in it, "mmm, have I told you how much I love you, Comrade?"

I chuckled, "at least once or twice, if I'm lucky. Usually more if it involves food, especially sweets," I finished setting down drinks while Christian placed a large tray of snacks on the coffee table in the center of the group. I turned back to the large arm chair to see that Rose had slid onto the floor, allowing me to sit in the chair and her to lean on my legs while she ate from the tray. We drank and ate in silence, everyone too tired or too deep in thought to go beyond.

After everyone had a chance to wind down Jill sat forward and looked at Lissa with a somewhat serious look on her face, "so, can my big, powerful sister tell me WHO exactly we agreed to bring in to help out our world? Especially since we're, ya know, SECRET?!"

Lissa grinned and leaned forward as well, "it's sort of nice because they are technically non-existent. According to both our world and the human world, they are a myth! In reality, they are just as much of a secret to both worlds as we are to the human world. Technically, they mostly don't know we exist either, but similarly to me, the council members, and the Alchemists knowing about them, their leaders know about us."

"So… who are you bringing in?" Eddie was now excited and just as curious as his girlfriend.

"Shinobi!" Rose managed to shout out while her mouth was completely stuffed with a ham sandwich.

"Sh-what?" Jill turned to Rose, confusion written as clear as day on her face.

"Shi-no-bi. In other words, ninjas."

Eddie's eyes were as big as saucers, "seriously, ninjas?! Real life ninjas?! Oh man, that is awesome!"

I nodded, "yes, but as Lissa said, they are secret to our world just as much as we are a secret to them. For most of the population of Court, they will not be ninjas. They've been instructed to not use anything that would give them away and to blend in here as much as possible, including their clothing and mannerisms. That being said, no one is supposed to know what they are, save for those of us here and those in the Council. I'm sure there are a few others like Adrian and Sydney that will also know. Of course, Hans and a few other senior Guardians who need to know their whereabouts. For the most part, they will be with Rose, myself, or around the wards or Court."

Eddie's face turned serious and he nodded before standing up and pulling Jill with him, "well, this has been fun, somewhat, but we need to get home. Early day for me tomorrow and Jill's got a few things to do before we head out for her final round of internships."

Lissa stood and hugged Eddie before hugging Jill and leaning in to whisper, "thank you. I'm sorry that you've had to step up for this for so long. Just a few more years, yeah?"

Jill smiled and hugged her sister back, "hey, anything for family. Besides, I know Olivia will be fantastic when she's old enough. I can hold on for a little while longer. I just want to finish this up then I can focus solely on this until she's old enough."

I hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but I had been leaning over the table to pick up the tray and mugs/cups and overheard it. It wasn't much of a secret in our group that Jill had had to put her life on hold with all the craziness that had been happening over the last few years, but she took it in stride and dealt with it with the grace of a princess. Her and Lissa had really improved their relationship over the last several years. Jill had agreed to be the Princess until Lissa and Christian's 6-year-old daughter was old enough to take on the title. I smiled as I thought about little Olivia and mine and Rose's adopted son, Alexi, practically the next generation of Rose and Lissa, owning St. Vladimir's Academy. I shook my head and walked Jill and Eddie to the door, hugging Jill then fist-bumping Eddie as they left.

I locked the door then quietly went upstairs to Rose and mine's room at the end of the hall, nodding to the guardians that were stationed outside of Lissa and Christian's rooms. I opened the door to see Rose sitting at the table in the living room (we basically had moved into the guest suite since Alexi came into our lives. It had a small living/sitting room, kitchen with a 4-seat table, 2 bathrooms, and 3 bedrooms- a master's bedroom, a secondary bedroom, and a guardian's bedroom) and grabbed her suite jacket and shoes to put them away while she worked. I gave her a kiss goodnight and went into our bedroom to shower and get ready for bed. Rose would be skyping with the leader of the group of shinobi we were hiring in a few hours, so she had to make sure everything was finalized and approved by Hans. She already had everything set with Lissa, so she was just awaiting the final "stamp", or in the case, call, of approval by Hans. I slipped under the covers and fell asleep almost instantaneously.

I woke with a start, trying to figure out what woke me up until I felt small, cool hands gently shaking my shoulder. I looked up at Rose who had a relaxed expression on her face, indicating nothing was immediately wrong, but something was troubling her, since she never woke me up unless it was necessary.

"Roza? What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

She smiled at me, her eyes slightly unfocused showing her exhaustion, "it's okay, Comrade. I just wanted to get you up for your shift. The power just went out. They are working on fixing it. Lissa and Christian are fine, there are two guardians inside the room with them while they work on fixing it. I'll go wake them up, but I figured you'd want to get going first since your shift is in an hour. I'll get a few hour's sleep and meet you this afternoon for our first assessment class of the remaining senior Novices," she stifled a yawn and stretched, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes, unsuccessfully might I add.

I smiled and sat up, giving her a kiss good morning before swinging my legs over the bed as she disappeared through the door towards, what I was assuming Lissa and Christian's room to wake them up. I walked into the bathroom and took a semi-long shower then got myself ready for the day, leaving my hair out so it could dry on its own; I wasn't doing anything more than ward patrol this morning, so leaving it out seemed like a fine idea. I walked out of the bathroom to find Rose sitting on the edge of the bed, her tired eyes suddenly lighting up at seeing my almost naked form (towel included). Her eyes sparkled with dulled hunger, the only indication of her true level of exhaustion- considering she usually was more enthusiastic about her once-over of me. I chuckled softly and walked up to her. She pulled me down to her level and kissed me deeply, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck while one of her hands lightly played with my hair. I returned the kiss with as much fervor but pulled away, earning a soft whimper and glare from Rose. I shook my head and kissed her forehead, "get some sleep, love. I'll see you this afternoon, so we can review the class schedule and check the Novices."

She sighed and nodded reluctantly before giving another yawn and rolling under the covers. While she began to relax and drift off, I grabbed my clothes and got dressed in the bathroom as to not distract her (and thus myself). Once I was dressed and ready to go, I grabbed a cup of coffee that Rose had so generously made me and walked down to the main kitchen, greeting Christian and Lissa's secondary- soon to be temporary primary-guardian, Guardian Long (or Jackie for when she was off shift). I grabbed an apple and breakfast bar from the kitchen and made my way to Headquarters to change shifts with the overnight guardian for the back sector of the wards. I took the radio from the guardian coming off shift and snatched a flashlight from my locker since it was a moonless night. I walked the well-worn path along the ward lines, carefully scanning the ward line and just beyond it between the thick trees and wild grasses. I kept the radio on low and kept it in my upper pocket, so I could still hear it should something come over. As usual, the shift was quiet and uneventful, save for the odd wild animal here and there. I checked my watch and stretched: 3 a.m. I had about an hour to kill before our training class would officially begin. I headed back to Headquarters to turn in the radio to the next guardian on shift and give them the "all-clear" and anything I needed to report, which was nothing. Once I did this, I replaced the flashlight into the locker and grabbed out my gym bag that I had thrown into it earlier. I walked to a small café that was near one of the small gyms that we had commandeered for training and slid into a booth just as Rose entered the café.

She spotted me and made her way over, her gym bag slung over her shoulder as well. She sat down and pulled out a clipboard, training roster, and generalized schedule she had made up the previous night. Since this would be our first class, she only had a few general ideas for where to take the class but was mostly unsure since these students had come from all over the U.S. and could all be at different levels. Of course, only those who were in decent standing with their academics had been allowed to remain here and complete their training and any coursework online to be returned to their respective Academies. Because of this, we expected most of the students to be in or near top of their classes, however, it was possible to be "book smart" but not, as Rose stated, "street smart". I rolled my eyes at her antics, although I did agree with her. We would let the students show us what they could do then go from there, but we were hoping for a more of an "independent study" so Rose could focus on the class on her own and I could return to my main job as Christian's guardian. This wouldn't occur until later this week when the shinobi would show up and start helping where we needed it. The only thing we had requested from the village was that we get sent the best, however many they deemed enough was up to them. We had set aside accommodations for up to 20 of them and could easily maneuver things around for more if they decided it was necessary. I shook my head and sighed, this was going to be interesting.

(Third POV)

Kakashi sighed and sat back from his desk, happy to have finished the required paperwork for the day. He had been at it since sunrise and it was just now high noon, he noted as he looked outside at the busy village below. Just as he stood up to stretch and potentially find some lunch, maybe bring Guy some, his door opened, revealing Shikamaru holding a piece of paper. Kakashi practically balked at the paper but held his hand out and scanned over the paper quickly, determining if he could put it off or not. With an eyebrow raised, he realized he had actually been waiting for this to come through ever since he had been contacted by one Rosemarie Hathaway about a month ago. Kakashi looked up at Shikamaru, "get Naruto, Sakura, and Ino. I'll send a message out to their final team member and a return message to Ms. Hathaway. We are ready to go."

Shikamaru nodded and quietly left the room, a small smile on his face. He was rather surprised to not be going along considering the importance and the fact that Ino was, but he assumed her role would be more of infiltration and interrogation since those were her specialties and not necessarily combat directed. Besides, if this other person was who he assumed it was, then he had nothing to worry about. He found Naruto sitting at the Ramen shop, as usual, with Konahamaru, talking with him and listening to his most recent mission, "hey, Naruto, hate to cut this short but Kakashi's requesting you at once. Also, do you know where Sakura is?"

Naruto looked up from his bowl and nodded, "yeah. She's over at Ino's flower shop helping her with some huge order that came in a few days ago. They should be finishing soon."

"Thanks man." Shikamaru waved at Naruto who quickly finished his ramen and headed towards Kakashi's office. Shikamaru weaved his way through the crowd towards the Yamanaka flower shop to see Ino and Sakura standing at the entryway. It looked like the pink haired friend was waving goodbye and had a bundle of flowers in her arms, probably a gift for agreeing to help. Shikamaru ran the last few yards and shouted to grab their attention. Both girls looked toward Shikamaru with confusion written on their faces, "hey, just wanted to catch you before you headed out. Kakashi wants both of you to head to his office. New mission."

"Ohh! How exciting! Getting to go on a mission with you and I, eh Sakura?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and laughed, "uh-huh, just the greatest!" She turned to Shikamaru, "who else is going with us?"

Shikamaru snorted and stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Naruto and some 'unknown' fourth person."

Sakura smiled wistfully until she was nudged by Ino, "ohh. Some 'unknown' fourth person. I wonder who that could be?!" Sakura blushed and rolled her eyes before lightly punching Ino on the shoulder. Ino laughed and rubbed her arm softly before the girls turned arm in arm towards Kakashi's office as well. Shikamaru shook his head and headed off to find Choji, figuring he could use some company.

A few moments later, Naruto was leaning against the wall, opposite Kakashi's desk, chatting with Kakashi when Ino and Sakura walked in, laughing about whatever they had been talking about. They both turned serious as Sakura's gaze flickered between Naruto and Kakashi before settling on the sheet of paper in front of Kakashi, "so, is that the new mission then? Where to, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask and pointed to the paper in front of him, "you're going to the United States. It's part of the 'unhidden' world. Few shinobi, and certainly even fewer civilians, are aware of its existence much like most of the 'outside world' is unaware of ours. Most of the leaders of the Nations and the Samurai know about the 'outside world', but we don't often interact with them unless absolutely necessary."

Ino and Sakura looked surprised at this, but Naruto's face remained impassive, mainly because he had arrived earlier and had found out about this from Kakashi already. Ino managed to pull herself together first, "Okay then. When do we leave? Who will be our fourth person? Who will be leading the group? How long will it take to get there?"

Kakashi's eyes flickered to Naruto then turned to Ino, "Naruto will be leading this mission. Nothing against you girls, but I figured this would be an excellent opportunity for him since he wants to take over as Hokage. Also, I've been warned that the groups you may be dealing with can be very…. Political and a bit… sexist and 'old fashioned'." Kakashi had turned his head towards the paper with a scowl then raised his eyes again to Ino, "this will also draw attention away from anything you may get up to that could indicate what we are. We decided that it would be ideal to minimize who knows what your abilities are, so the less you have to draw attention, the better."

Ino scoffed, "since when can Naruto be inconspicuous?"

"I have to agree with Ino."

Naruto stretched and sighed, "I told you, Kakashi-sensei. They would not want me to lead this, besides, I think Sakura or Ino would be much better at this than me."

Kakashi leaned back in his chair, "normally, I would agree, to some extent. However, the issues here lie more with the group you will be talking to. Granted, most of the time, you'll be in the shadows and not talking to anyone outside of your 'handler', but when you are, I think that some of their ideals and mannerisms will just piss you both off." He eyed the girls with an eyebrow raised who both nodded with understanding, "Naruto may be a lot of things, but his patience and level-headedness has certainly improved over the last few years. To answer your other questions, it'll take a few days to arrive to the nearest country, Japan. From there, you will fly to the U.S., where a car will meet you to take you the remainder of the way to your location. I would say it will take around 4 days total from getting to the border to get on the boat, to arriving at location. As for your fourth person, he'll meet you at the boat. I'm sure you can guess who that'll be."

Ino eyed Sakura who just blushed furiously, confirming Shikamaru's earlier comment to a T. Kakashi and Naruto both laughed silently as the girls regained their composure, "I've also been informed that you all will be going 'under cover'. Meaning, no clothing or styles that could give away what you are and where you're from. That means, no headbands and you have to keep all your weapons hidden or sealed on your person. This also means, only civilian clothing and speech. I will give you each a seal hidden on you, of your choosing, so you can easily switch between our language and theirs. You will have to be careful to avoid using our language when in their company, of course," they all nodded and stood in front of Kakashi to received their seals, "I have been told by your handler that if you don't have any clothing deemed 'appropriate' by their standards, that they have a budget set aside to help purchase anything you'll need beyond what will be provided for you. Just grab what you have and if there's anything more, your handler will help."

Naruto piped up, "Kakashi-sensei, who is this 'handler' you keep mentioning?"

"They, well, she, will be your 'captain' if you must put a name to it as well as who to ask any questions to and your 'go to' person and general contact."

"She?" Sakura seemed surprised to hear this.

Kakashi nodded, "I've been told that she's the 'best there is' so you will be in good hands. Just listen to her and follow her lead, she'll get you to where you need to be and help you out. Now, enough talk, get packed and meet me at the front gate. You leave in an hour." All three bowed and left quickly to pack and get ready. He watched them leave and sighed, staring at the dossier that Rose had sent to him. He gathered all the papers and sealed it back up to give to Naruto, so they could go over it once they arrived on the boat.

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 **That was chapter 1! Just setting the scene and all that jazz. Let me know what y'all think! Any an all criticism is welcome, as is any and all praise! I look forward to hearing from you!**

 **strangemind**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 **(A few days later)**

(DPOV)

I watched the two Novices facing off, correcting their stance and execution of the current takedown they were learning. I had seen Rose off about an hour ago and was currently working in her place while she picked up the Shinobi. She was surprised to learn that only she was needed to pick them up but didn't question it. I volunteered to go along, since I had assumed they would be sending more than a car-load, but Rose said she would handle it and if there was more help needed, she'd call. I had agreed with her and continued to work on the Novices in her place.

"Alright, that's enough! Everyone, work on your conditioning. Novices Reyes and Lloyd, to the mats please," I watched as a rather lanky young man with nearly white-blond hair strut to the mats. He was a decent fighter and had a good eye for different strategies, but his arrogance was going to get him killed if he wasn't careful. I suppressed and eyeroll as Reyes bowed to a few of his friends cat-calling and whooping at him. On the other hand, Novice Lloyd was a rather small and quiet young man. He was exceptional at fighting and, when spurred, could rally the best of them. He would make a great leader, if he had a bit more confidence and wasn't so shy around others. He was always thinking he wasn't good enough, to the point where he had pulled Rose aside one morning to tell her that he didn't deserve to be here and that we were wasting time with him. Rose had woken up early the next day and took him somewhere private to have a long and serious talk with him. Whatever had been said, seemed to give him enough confidence that he stopped saying he wasn't good enough to train. "Face each other. You're going to spar. First to two points wins. Usual rules apply, no hitting above the neck, no breaks, and out of bounds counts against you. Start."

I stepped back and watched as Reyes flew at Lloyd with a rather showy move. It wouldn't do well in an actual fight, but it was designed to intimidate and make you appear bigger to your opponent. I thought Lloyd would back away or cringe, which was what Reyes expected since he had half turned away to 'walk off' from his 'victory'. He should've kept his focus as Lloyd held his ground and grabbed Reyes' leg, forcing his momentum to continue past its intended target. Reyes went flying and slammed against the mat, hard. It actually was hard enough that some of the other Novices jumped from the sound. Lloyd didn't waste a second and jumped onto Reyes, pinning him to the mat. Reyes' gaze turned from arrogant to serious and irritated. The boys wrestled on the ground, rolling over and over until Lloyd finally managed to get Reyes' arm pinned underneath both of their bodies and, using his unoccupied hand, slapped Reyes' back declaring, "dead" in a quiet voice.

The room was eerily silent as everyone watched Reyes with baited breath. I tensed up, ready to intervene since Reyes was known for a quick and uncontrollable temper. His eyes were simmering, but he held back and fell into place, waiting for the next round. I nodded my consent to point to Lloyd and signaled the next round to begin once Lloyd was in position. This time when Reyes struck out, it wasn't flashy but controlled and fast. He sent a hard kick into Lloyd's stomach, causing the smaller boy to double over. By the time Lloyd had gathered his wits, Reyes had him on his back and a hand shoved over his heart, "dead," he barely whispered, his temper only just contained. Lloyd nodded his consent to the point, but he looked irritated as well, if the flashing in his pale blue eyes were any indication. They sprung apart, well Reyes sprung off Lloyd and Lloyd took a deep breath before carefully getting up, checking himself to see if he was okay to continue. He looked at me and nodded before turning back to Reyes, ready to go for the final point.

I motioned to begin, but neither of them moved. They both seemed almost frozen, their eyes assessing each other, waiting to see who would move first. This time, however, Lloyd suddenly sprung forward, his fist ready to strike into Reyes' side. Reyes twisted out of the way, swinging his left arm behind him, and hitting Lloyd on the back of the neck. Lloyd fell forward but managed to get his arms in front of him and rolled into the fall. Reyes watched and waited for Lloyd who sprung back up, falling into a ready stance. The two ran at each other, exchanging blow after blow, some connecting, and others being blocked. Reyes managed to get the upper hand when he feigned left, pulling Lloyd's attention before managing to swing a right hook in Lloyd's blind spot. Lloyd tumbled back to the ground, but swept his leg under Reyes' arm, pulling the boy down with him. The boys began to wrestle again on the mat, trying to pin each other and neither succeeding. Finally, Lloyd grabbed onto Reyes' left leg, hooking his elbow into the larger boy's knee, and pulling hard. At the same time, Lloyd snatched onto his right arm and forced that back, bowing Reyes' back. After Lloyd forced the limbs close enough together, he pulled his left arm away from the fray and 'staked' Reyes' back, right where his heart rested, "dead", Lloyd breathed, looking at me for confirmation. I acknowledged the point to Lloyd, who promptly let Reyes go and stood, a calm expression on his face. Reyes looked murderous, but held his hand out to Lloyd, showing some decent sportsmanship. Lloyd returned it, a small smile etched into his features, showing he really felt proud of what he had accomplished.

"Good fight Novice Lloyd. Novice Reyes, you as well, but don't be afraid to let your opponent to strike first more often. Sometimes, when you get overzealous in your first attack, you leave yourself wide open. Many Strigoi will underestimate you because you are young. You can also use your overconfidence to your benefit too. If you can exude arrogance without letting it control you, you can lure the Strigoi in, thinking they are facing off against another arrogant fresh graduate," I noticed the other Novices gathering around. I turned my attention to them as a whole, "you all are young and, when it comes to fighting Strigoi, inexperienced. There's only so much we can really teach you without forcing you up against a real Strigoi. Many Guardians discover, too late, that while we train you well, it sometimes isn't enough. Sometimes, even the best Guardians fall to the hands of a Strigoi. You have to train hard, but also train smart. Brute strength and confidence only get you so far. If you can, use any strengths a Strigoi has against it. They will be faster and stronger than many of you, simply because they are built that way. Many Strigoi will be ex-Guardians or ancients, meaning they faced against countless Guardians, and won. Some will be smaller than you, so practice against smaller opponents. Some will be bigger, so same goes for that. Finally, rely on your partner, if you have one. Since Lord Ozera and Miss Rinaldi's programs have been implemented across the globe for Moroi to learn offensive magic, utilize their abilities too. Class dismissed."

I watched the students file out to the lockers. I made my way outside to run off the excess energy I had accrued watching the Novices and thinking about my days as a Strigoi. While they were far in the past, they still haunted me sometimes, especially when I think about those young Novices graduating and facing those dangers alone. I sighed and began my run. All I could do was train them to be the best they could be and trust them to do the rest. I had been running for about 30 minutes when I felt the presence of another. I slowed down and looked around, noticing a lanky figure standing near my bag. I walked up to the figure to see it was Novice Reyes, looking downcast and someone embarrassed.

"How can I help you, Novice?"

He looked up at me and took a deep breath, evidently needing something extra to give him courage, "can… can you help me?"

I looked at him, tilting my head, "with what, Novice Reyes?"

"I… I don't always have the best control… Especially of my temper. I know I get showy, usually when I think I've got the upper hand. Today showed me I… don't. My older sister is…was… this amazing Guardian. Top of her class and super talented. I thought since I'm top too, I would simply follow in her steps and get an easy assignment, but…" He trailed off, staring at his feet.

"But?"

He took another deep breath and looked at me, "how do you do it? How do you channel anger and fear and anguish into fighting?"

I scanned his face, realizing he had said something strange, "was? What happened, Novice Reyes?"

His eyes began to glisten with unshed tears and he looked down as they began to spill, "sh-she died. I just found out yesterday. What you said was right: it's never enough is it? She was one of the best and she couldn't do enough to keep herself alive. She didn't keep her promise! She left… all for some stupid Moroi who didn't even care she died!" He was sobbing now and fell against my chest when I placed a hand on his shoulder. He needed comfort and had no one here, beyond his friends, who could offer it.

I closed my eyes for a moment, letting him take the comfort he needed. Despite him being nearly an adult and expected to be this emotionless machine, he was still young and human. I pulled away slightly and squatted down until I was face to face with him, "It's never easy. Losing someone you love is not an easy thing to do. She did her job, no matter how painful that is to hear, it's true. You will be an outstanding Guardian, because you are passionate and a quick thinker. You are quite the strategist and will be a great asset during any raid, planning, or gathering. Learning how to channel emotions is hard but use them instead of them using you. Don't let your heart grow cold nor become vengeful. Keep your sister in your heart and never let her go. She might be gone from this world, but she'll always be with you and watching over you. Become a strong Guardian for her, for you, and for future Novices who'll need you to show them how it's done."

He wiped his eyes quickly and nodded, a small smile forming on his face. He quickly hid the smile, replacing with a serious look and stepped back, "thanks Guardian Belikov. I'll see you Monday!" With that, he ran off towards the housing we had for the Novices. I grabbed my bag and headed towards the locker room to shower and change now that the Novices would be gone. Rose had finally sent me a message saying she had made contact with the shinobi and would be home in a few hours. I texted her to be safe and that I'd see her tonight for the introductions with the Council then a more informal dinner with Lissa, Christian, Sydney, Adrian, Rose, and myself. We had wanted the shinobi to feel somewhat welcome after the scrutiny they were sure to receive at the introductions, so we thought a private dinner in one of the larger halls might be nice. Although, since we had heard that Rose was the only one to pick up the shinobi, we were unsure if a large hall was necessary. I had let Christian know of this and he and Adrian were working on something smaller. They didn't want to pull it all together until we had an actual head count, however.

I sighed and stepped out of the shower, feeling the slight ache leave my muscles from the run and workout I had been through with the Novices this morning. I hoped the shinobi would be accommodating considering we were probably flipping their usual sleep schedule on its head and expecting them to be a mix between shadows like us and diplomats. We would handle it and try to help where we could. I quickly got dressed and headed out to catch Christian for his afternoon classes with the Moroi at Court. His and Mia's program had taken off like wildfire the second it hit the schools in the Americas. Despite the heat and weather in the southern hemisphere, there were two schools in South America: one in southern Chile and one in central Argentina. Both schools took the program with vigor and enthusiasm- apparently the issues in the U.S. had concerned them enough that they had already been working on training any and all Moroi that wanted to learn self-defense. The fact that they could add offensive magic was successful by leaps and bounds. St. Marco's in Argentina ended up being the first launching point, so Mia and Christian had spent nearly a year getting it off the ground. The next school, St. Rafael's in Chile, took to it faster, letting us return to the U.S. after only 18 months, instead of the allotted time of 3 years.

"There you are, Dimitri! I mean… Guardian Belikov," I looked over to see a petite woman with curly blonde hair wave at me while trotting over to where I stood. Christian and Mia had argued with the Council that they needed a large, well lit field for practice. They had spent the first few years working in one of the old gyms to hone control for the Moroi, but now that most of them showed great improvement with control and stamina, they wanted to move to bigger magic, hence the football-soccer to the Americans at Court- field minus the grass and goals. They even had stands where the Moroi could sit and watch the others practice.

"Hello, Miss Rinaldi. Where is Lord Ozera?" Normally, I would've been more informal, but when at Court, Christian, Mia, and I all agreed to be more 'appropriate', at least in public.

Mia made a face at me for using her title, but shrugged it off, "he said he would be running a bit late. Apparently, her Majesty had some questions about the upcoming demonstrations that the Council wanted answered. So, he had to go to her office and 'formally' answer and I quote: 'those pompous ass's redundant and ridiculous questions that they all would know if they actually read our progress reports.'" Mia added in quotations, deepening her voice to a close mockery of Christian's snarky voice.

I chuckled and started filling up buckets with water and set them out where Mia pointed for the water users. Mia then began to drag out the dummies for the fire users to practice on. They had various targets on them. Usually, we used them for gun practice or other weapons practice for basics. We switched to the more 'life-like' dummies as the Novices and Guardians progressed. Since Court had plenty of these lying around for their non-existent newbies, we figured they would be much more use here than gathering dust. We had just finished setting up and the first Moroi started showing up when Christian stomped over, his face beyond irritated. He barely acknowledged us before heading over to the fire and earth users' section. Mia shook her head and walked over to the air and water users' section, greeting the air user instructor, Jason. I walked quietly over to Christian who was practically, and literally considering the smoke, burning a hole into the head of a dummy.

"Penny for your thoughts, Lord Ozera?"

His eyes snapped up at me and I watched as the irritation drained from his face as he worked to keep it contained, "no, I'm fine I-" I cut his excuse off with a look and he sighed, leaning against the dummy lightly, "there are days that I can't stand those conceited assholes. Seriously, it's a miracle that any Guardian wants to even bother protecting us Moroi, especially the royals! I mean, it's not like you need royals to make babies with. It could be with any Moroi," he looked at me then stared at the few Guardians scattered around that had accompanied their charges and shook his head, "seriously man. Why do any of you even bother? It's crap. The way they act like they're God's gift to the world and that if they weren't here, things would implode is ridiculous."

I chuckled, "I just got lucky. I got to guard my best friend right out of school. Then I went to protect someone who didn't even need me, considering she had the literal best Guardian for the job- despite her not being a Guardian yet. Now, I get to deal with your sarcasm and oh so original wit and insider's perspective."

He rolled his eyes, a smile threatening to break, which he turned into a smirk, "you've been spending far too much time around me and Rose, you know that right? I'm serious D- Guardian Belikov," he rolled his eyes again at the title, "some Guardians must really draw the short stick."

I snorted, "it's not like every Guardian is a piece of sunshine all the time. Some Guardians are just as 'political' and ostentatious as the Moroi they guard. Often, it can be a match made in heaven, or somewhere I suppose. You just don't see that side of us because we don't act unprofessional in front of the Moroi. Enough talk let's get this class going so we can go home, change, and head for the exciting 'introductory meeting' that I'm sure will occur." He nodded and walked forward as the rest of the Moroi staggered in, signaling the beginning of class.

Christian and I were quietly entering the Council's room as they finished their work for the day. We had gone home after his classes, so we could change into more appropriate attire, mainly me wearing more 'formal' attire while Christian changed his singed shirt. He slid into his chair behind Lissa as she called the meeting for the day to an end.

"I suggest we take a short break. I've been informed by Guardian Hathaway that our guests are here and have had a chance to settle in. They are on their way now. Once they arrive, I'm sure introductions are in order before the questions begin, yes?" The Council members nodded, and some walked out to stretch their legs or what have you while others remained in the room, talking amongst themselves. Lissa stretched and gave Christian a quick peck on the cheek before turning to me and giving me a wink and smile. I returned the smile with a small one of my own, not wanting to attract the attention of the Moroi. I noticed that a few of the Novices were shadowing some Guardians around the room today and I nodded my approval as I made eye contact with each of them. I saw both Novice Lloyd and Novice Reyes standing by the doors, looking serious but proud and excited. It was boring work to stand around and do nothing, but for Novices, many of them were just excited to do something out of the norm.

Lissa called the room back to order as the last Council member returned to the room and sat down. We heard a knock at the door, and after Lissa responded with a "come in" Rose opened the door, leading 4 rather young-looking individuals into the room. If I wasn't on duty, I would've gaped at the group. They sent us only 4? And children no less? Was this a joke? I started thinking this before Rose cut me a look, indicating that I shouldn't judge, at all. I calmed my racing thoughts and stood there, expressionless as ever as the 4 came forward to stand in front of Lissa and the Council. They were dressed rather differently from each other. I had been briefed that they were warned to wear 'civilian' attire to blend in more as their 'normal' clothing could alert people to something being off. The blond in front was wearing a black jacket with a red spiral on the back, light blue jeans, and black boots. He also had strange markings on his face that resembled whiskers and his right hand was wrapped in a bandage. Did he get hurt on his way here? I shook my head as I scanned over the others. Standing to his left was a girl with short, pink hair and bright green eyes that could've rivalled even Lissa's jade. She was wearing a high necked red tank top with black skinny jeans tucked into heeled ankle boots. She also had a red plastic (based on the shine off it from the lights) headband, holding her hair back. To complete the look, there was a purple diamond in the center of her forehead, which I thought was strange, but not something I would question. Standing to the left of this pink-haired girl was another girl with long blonde hair. She had on a purple button-down dress that was sleeveless and stopped just above her knees. She also wore a pair of heeled boots, but these came half way up her calves. She had a red barrette and silver studs in her ears. The last one was a dark haired male standing to the right of the first blond. He was wearing a pair of slacks and black boots. I couldn't see his shirt since he was wearing a black knee length cape. He had a patch covering his left eye and his expression was blank as most of the Guardians here.

Lissa cleared her throat and stood, drawing everyone's attention back from the shinobi, "welcome! I'm glad you were able to make it. I trust your journey was uneventful?"

The blond in the front laughed, "if you count listening to these two argue as uneventful, then yeah, it was fine," he was pointing to the two girls, who were practically shooting daggers into his back while the dark-haired man rolled his visible eye, "anyway, my name's Naruto Uzumaki and I'm the leader of the team. Nice to meet you all. I hope we'll be of some help and ease your mind, your Majesty," the blond, now named Naruto bowed respectfully to Lissa and gestured to the rest of the group.

The pink-haired girl stepped forward and bowed as well, "I'm Sakura Haruno and I'm the team's medic. If you need help in any healing, let me know. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

The blonde girl stepped forward after Sakura stepped back and she bowed, "I'm Ino Yamanaka. I specialize in interrogation and infiltration, hence why I'm here. I can also second as a medic, though I'm nowhere near as talented as Sakura."

She stepped back and the dark-haired one stayed where he was, "I'm Sasuke Uchiha. Second and strategist." He inclined his head, but refrained from bowing, earning a rather reproachful look from Naruto but he shook his head. This seemed to mean something to Naruto who just nodded and sighed.

Lissa smiled at the group, "I'm Queen Vasilisa Dragomir. You have already met Guardian Hathaway, who will be your handler and general 'middle man'. These are the heads of each of the 12 royal families: Dragomir, Ivashkov, Badica, Dashkov, Ozera, Taurus, Voda, Zeklos, Szlesky, Drozdov, Conta, and Lazar," she pointed to each individual who inclined their heads as they were introduced, "we welcome you and thank you for coming to our aid. I know it's a bit unorthodox, but we fear that our enemy may have contacted someone from your continent as well. We hope you will be able to either put our fears at ease or help us prepare against our enemies."

Naruto nodded, "we have been given the all clear to stay as long as you deem us necessary. Whatever we can do to help, we are more than happy to do."

Lissa was about to continue when Prince Ivashkov let out a derisive snort and stood, "forgive me for saying so, but. I highly doubt 4 children will make much difference in helping us with our problem. This is a joke, your Majesty. First, you coerce us into this farce of a threat, then you waste our money on a group of clearly greedy 'mercenaries'. We had asked for the best, and the sent us children instead!" He was turning red with each word, working himself into a rage. I fought to roll my eyes since I was on duty, but the shinobi didn't have the same sentiment. I watched as Ino grabbed onto Sakura's arm while her eyes were narrowed. Sasuke held out his hand to Naruto who grumbled and handed him a handful of bills. Prince Ivashkov caught the movement and narrowed his eyes, "think we're worth gambling over eh boy? Tell me, did your father raise you to be so disrespectful or did you learn that on your own?"

Naruto's head turned slowly towards Prince Ivashkov and while his eyes flashed with warning, his voice remained calm, "no sir, my father didn't raise me at all. It's a bit difficult to raise someone from a grave, now isn't it?" Sakura looked at Prince Ivashkov with anger evident on her face while Sasuke just chuckled, clearly amused by Naruto's reaction. I, however, was concerned. I shook my head as I remembered that it wasn't my business.

Prince Ivashkov's nostrils flared, "I see. No one to teach you how to respect your betters then. I guess I can excuse your barbaric behavior then, although I would expect some level of decorum from a leader."

Sasuke spoke quietly but managed to grab the attention of everyone in the room, "I would agree with you. I suppose it's a good thing that you're not a leader then, yes, Ivashkov? At least your leader is willing to show us some level of civility."

"That's _Prince Ivashkov_ to you, boy."

"Apologies. _Prince_ Ivashkov. The rest of my statement stands, however."

"Thank you, Prince Ivashkov. I will take it from here," Lissa was staring at Ivashkov with her motherly "disappointed" look. He sat without much fuss while Lissa turned her attention back to the shinobi in front of her, "I must agree with Prince Ivashkov, to some extent."

"Rest assured, your Majesty. We are some of the best in our village, despite our age. We will be all you'll need. If you feel we need more, however, we can always send word back home and our Hokage will be more than willing to send reinforcements?" Naruto stood there with his hands laced behind his head, completely at ease, despite the mounting tension.

Lissa shook her head and smiled, "we trust yours and your Hokage's assessment. If you believe the 4 of you will be enough, then we appreciate it. We appreciate any help. I was more surprised by your age, though. Did you 4 just graduate or something?"

Naruto chuckled, "nope. We graduate from the academy at age 12," some of the Guardians looked appalled at the age but Naruto didn't notice, or didn't care, "after that, we're separated into groups of 3 and are mentored by a high-ranking shinobi until we take the exams to reach the next rank."

"Rank?" Jill piped up, clearly interested in what Naruto was talking about. I admit I was interested as well, especially at hearing the age they stop going to school.

Naruto looked at his companions before looking at Lissa, seeking her approval to go more in depth. She nodded and returned to her seat, getting comfortable for the ensuing conversation and questions, "once we graduate from the academy, we become genin. We are, as I said, put into teams of 3 with a jounin level sensei. We go on low, rank missions while continuing our training and gaining more generalized knowledge. The next rank is chuunin. We can sign up to take the chuunin exams. These are conducted in 3 stages to test different skills a ninja needs to know. These include: stealth, survival, justu, knowledge, and decision-making. Chuunin can lead small squads and can conduct mid-range missions. The final main rank is jounin. Generally, jounin are highly skilled and specialize in multiple areas of expertise. They also can lead larger squads or mentor small teams of genin and go on the highest rank missions available. There are other ranks, but they aren't really applicable to most of the shinobi population."

"Can you tell us about them? Or are you not allowed to?" Princess Conta was clearly just as interested as Jill was, which made the situation somewhat funny. The two most gentle souls, besides the Queen, on the Council seemed the most intrigued.

"We can talk about them, they just generally aren't important to many shinobi and civilians," Sakura had stepped up this time, "beyond the general rankings for shinobi you have: specialized jounin, ANBU, Kage, and S-class. Specialized jounin are, as the name suggest, specialized. They pick one area of expertise and excel at it. I'm an example of one. I specialize in medical and I'm a jounin rank. Ino's another, although she can be secondary medical, she excels at interrogation and that's her main focus in and out of the village. ANBU is…. Hm… what would the equivalent be for you?" She thought for a while before her eyes lit up, "oh! Like a special ops or black ops even! Secret service might be closer? Eh… they're sort of all the above I suppose. Kage are the shinobi leaders of the hidden villages. They only really answer to the feudal lords of the land but lead and service the villages. S-class shinobi are of the highest class and strongest. Most Kage are at this rank, in one form or another. The sanin of our village definitely were."

"I dunno, Sakura. I would argue that you, Naruto, and Sasuke could fit in that last rank."

"I'm not sure about myself, Ino, but Naruto and Sasuke? Most likely. Just not officially I suppose."

The room was silent again until Jill managed to squeak, "you mean… these two… are that strong? H-how old are you guys?"

Ino looked up, "we're all 18. Is that strange?" Everyone gaped at them, even the Guardians let their masks slip.

Naruto cleared his throat and looked at Ino, "going back to the whole rank thing. I am sure that I'm not that strong. Sasuke is probably the closest, I'm just stubborn and dumb." He laughed, breaking some of the tension as Sasuke rolled his visible eye.

"Stupid? Yes. You are very stupid. And even more stubborn. But you're strong, man. Trust me. Not many could take me on in a fight, and you're pretty damn close."

Naruto just chuckled and elbowed Sasuke, "whatever you say. I've got to have something to compete with since you've got the whole 'brooding handsome' thing down."

"I should've guessed you were into guys, Naruto. Has someone explained that to Hinata, or is this just a bro-mance?" Ino looked at Naruto with a raised eyebrow.

"Excuse me?! A what now?"

"A bro-mance. I read it in a magazine on the flight here."

Naruto just spluttered, trying to make a coherent sentence until Sasuke laughed. He caught his breath and turned toward Lissa, "well, does that answer your questions? Should we get ready for our first round of patrol then?"

Lissa shook herself out of her stupor and cleared her throat, "I believe that's enough for questions, but if you four would wait here, please. I have more to discuss. The rest of you are dismissed." The royals and most of the Guardians left the room rather quickly. I noticed that Novices Reyes and Lloyd had remained behind with two of the other Guardians who were stationed near the door, all 4 looking serious, indicating they were the Guardians on duty for the Queen. I was glad that someone had taken those two under their wings and that both were seeming to want to shoot high in this career. I knew they both would accel at whatever they chose. Lissa noticed the 4 of them and pulled out her phone, before walking up to the shinobi, "we have a bit of an informal dinner set up for you as more of a real welcome. I had a feeling that the Council would be a bit hostile, although I'm surprised how restrained they were. I have a feeling that you will be the talk of Court over the next several days, I apologize about that."

Naruto snorted, "it's fine. It's nothing new to be the talk of the town, whether in a good light or not."

"Rose did mention that you had said something along those lines when she warned you of the same thing, would you be willing to discuss that? You don't have to, but we just thought a relaxed dinner with a few of my friends would put you and your friends at ease."

Sakura nodded, "it would be great, thank you. We were supposed to check in with Kakashi-sensei though. Normally, we don't really communicate with our Hokage until a mission is complete, but since this is an unusual one, he wanted us to let him know once we had settled in and had formally met you. Do you have a computer we can borrow?"

Lissa nodded and motioned the group to join her when a decent sized projector screen descended from the ceiling- an addition that Lissa had found rather helpful in her conference calls as a student at University and had implemented frequently for charts and other calls from across the world. Lissa then logged into the computer on the side of the room and waved at it for Sakura. She clicked around until she found the right icon, indicating this was somewhat foreign to her. After a few more minutes, she managed to log into the calling program and pulled up an image of a man with a book in his hand, his white hair standing out against the dark blue forehead band he wore. We had all moved to leave when Sakura waved her hand, "no it's okay. You can stay. We won't be discussing anything classified."

"Yeah, even if we did, you'd never know because we'd just switch languages!" Naruto said behind me, nearly causing me to jump. I turned around to him to glare, but he was more interested with the markings on my neck, "Rose didn't tell us what these were. Would you mind?"

"They're our markings. The large S-like symbol is our Promise Mark. It indicates we graduated and promised to become Guardians and completed training as Novices. The lightning-like symbol is a _molnjia._ They are used to mark our individual Strigoi kills. The final is a _Zvezda._ It indicates a large battle had been fought where the count was impossible to track." Rose had joined Naruto and pointed to the back of my neck, careful not to touch them, which I saw Naruto noticed and kept his hands down to his sides. Rose looked surprised, "you seem like a 'touch what you're not supposed to' kind of person. You also seem rather brash and easy to emotional outbursts."

"Normally, you'd be right, but I'm trying to be more mature. Although, I noticed you were careful to not touch him, and since you're someone clearly important to him, I figured a stranger should definitely not touch."

Rose's eyebrows shot up at this, "how do you know he's important to me?"

Sasuke looked over, "he didn't mean it that way. He just assumed that Guardians are similar to shinobi. We care deeply about our friends and teammates. Our sensei told us that we were to never leave a comrade behind. To shinobi, to abandon a mission is considered to be scum, but to our sensei, to abandon a friend is worse." Before I could respond, an image of the same man, minus the headband came into view on the screen.

"Ah, I see you all made it! Good, good. Sorry about the interruption, but since this is beyond our normal parameters for a mission, I figured a check-in was warranted. I'm glad to see you're here, you Majesty. Will this work well enough? I thought about sending just the three, but I figured having an interrogator would be beneficial." The man, I guessed was this Kakashi person, seemed rather bored, although it was hard to say since he had a mask that covered the lower half of his face.

Lissa nodded, "we appreciate the help. Although, we had planned for more than just the 4 of them. We were expecting up to 20 or so. It was just a surprise, but it works just fine. Thank you."

Kakashi nodded, "yes, Guardian Hathaway had mentioned the numbers, but we would rather keep it small instead of large. Easier to maneuver and keep to the shadows that way. Besides, trust me, you have all the help you'll need right there. I have warned them to keep things as much under wraps as possible. I'm sure that there will come a point where they'll have to use their skills to help take down the enemy, but less is best yes?"

Rose snorted, "considering the oh so 'warm welcome' they just received, I'd say it's a good thing you didn't send more. I think the royals would've had a heart attack if you sent more 'children'." Rose rolled her eyes, "funny how much they've changed their tune in the last several years."

I nodded and looked up at the screen. Kakashi looked surprised, or what I assumed was surprise. He looked about to say something when someone caught his attention off screen. He nodded to whatever they were saying and turned back to the screen, "well, duty calls. Take care, you 4. And please, try not to destroy everything. Remember: secret is key here." With that he signed off and the shinobi turned towards us, Naruto was practically beaming.

Lissa picked her phone up and nodded, "well, looks like they're ready for us," she turned to the Guardians and Novices standing at the door, "you are dismissed, unless you'd like to join us?"

"We're on duty until sunrise, your Majesty," the female standing to the left stated. Her name was Guardian Palmer and was one of the oldest Guardians in the Queen's entourage. She was about as serious as they come, but if you got her to open up, she had one of the biggest hearts and best sense of humor.

"Well then, good thing I told them to set for 4 more at the table. Come on then. To dinner." To many Guardians, this would be shocking, but to the Queen's Guard and those of us who knew Lissa, she preferred to eat and interact with her Guardians on a personal level, especially when there weren't other royals around to judge her. She treated as many Dhampirs and Moroi that she could as her equal. I saw the Novices seemed rather confused and out of place. They weren't used to directly working and interacting with the Moroi Queen, but they kept silent and fell into step behind their Guardians.

Lissa led the way towards the hall where the table was set. Sydney and Adrian were already there, talking amongst themselves. They looked up once we walked in and Adrian jumped up, "well, about time you guys got here! We were going to start without you! I am famished here!"

Rose rolled her eyes and gave Adrian a hug then Sydney, "oh please, you both could eat a plate of food between the two of you and there'd still be leftovers. Sydney eats as much as Moroi, despite her being human. It's rather impressive actually."

Naruto stared at the spread, "do… you have ramen by chance?"

Christian looked at him like he had a second head, "excuse me? I worked hard to cook this, but you'd rather eat shitty noodles from a Styrofoam cup?"

Naruto turned to him, "no! I mean actual ramen! Not that instant isn't bad, but ramen is the best! I didn't mean to offend you."

Rose laughed and slapped Naruto on the shoulder, "eh don't worry about it. His precious feelings will get over it. But, Christian does make some good food, give it a shot. Then we'll see if someone knows how to make actual ramen, fair enough?"

Sydney looked up, "actually, I found a new ramen stand in the shopping district of Court the other day. They're pretty good. I don't know if they're quite as accurate as Japan is with ramen, but it was delicious nonetheless." Naruto beamed, but sat down at the table to enjoy the dinner he was presented with.

Everyone sat down and enjoyed the food, engaging in small talk here and there. I was seated next to Novice Lloyd and nudged him, "it's a bit daunting to sit here isn't it? Don't worry, not all assignments will be like this, but enjoy the closeness that Vasilisa has with her Guardians. You're equals here, you and Reyes both." He looked up and nodded before turning his attention to Sydney, who was sitting to his left. She seemed shy to talk to him at first, but they managed to find something to talk about when Novice Lloyd brought up his love of ancient architecture.

Once things had died down and the plates had been removed, Lissa turned to Naruto, her face serious, "so, I know you had just arrived, but I was hoping we could get down to business."

* * *

 **A.N.: Heyyo! So, this story is gonna be a bit longer than my other one and might drag at some points. Hopefully it won't be too bad since I tend to let my narration run away with itself! I promise, there will be some action and excitement, but with lots of dialog and musings! Let me know what you think, as always!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Naruto's face turned serious and he sat back, "well, there's for sure an issue surrounding Court. I took a reading around Court and outside. There's something seriously wrong. There's a large bout of negative energy about 2 kilometers outside Court and some very negative emotions there as well. I can't get exact numbers, but you're looking at minimally a few dozen enemies, at least. What?"

All eyes were on Naruto, most were shocked while his companions were impassive. They were simply giving him attention while he talked, but they had clearly heard this already. The Novices looked terrified, unable to hide their emotions. Sydney's hand flew to Adrian's and was clenching it tightly. Adrian looked pale while Lissa and Christian looked ready to take on the challenge. Rose, the other Guardians, and I kept our masks in place, but I could see the shock and determination in their eyes.

"How do you know this?" Lissa's face had hardened into her professional mask. She was ready to take on any threat to her people, or at least delegate to us to do what we could since Rose would probably drag her away from any fight before Lissa could do much else.

"I'm a sensory ninja. One difference between myself and other sensory ninja is that I can read energies and emotions. Most other ninja can see chakra and lifeforce."

Rose looked from Naruto to the other shinobi, "I hate to do this, but is there a way you can either show or tell us some of your abilities? It would help me determine where to best fit you and how to keep things quiet."

The shinobi looked at each other for a moment before Naruto locked gazes with Rose, "Normally, we wouldn't unless we were in a fight, especially with outsiders, but if it would make you more comfortable then sure. What do you want to know?"

Everyone turned to Rose, who sat up and slipped into her Commander role, "let's start with basics. What are your specialized abilities? Strengths and weaknesses, we need to worry about?"

Ino started, "as I said before, I specialize in interrogation and infiltration. That is an accurate statement, but not the full story. My family, the Yamanaka family, specialize in a specific type of jutsu. It's called "mind transfer jutsu", and yes, it's exactly like it sounds. It does have its uses in a fight, which is nice, but I mainly use it for interrogation and gathering information from my target," she looked around the table. The Guardians, myself included, looked impressed. Having a skill like that would really be helpful in our line of work. However, I saw the Moroi were somewhat disturbed by this, especially with the taboo against compulsion being used against anyone. Ino noticed the shocked faces and shrugged, "when you deal with shinobi, you have to be willing to get very, very dirty. Most shinobi can withstand severe interrogation techniques, including starvation, isolation, beatings, and others. It's what we're trained to do, but being able to access one's mind, that's harder to train against. Granted, many shinobi have a hardened constitution and have natural mental blocks because of this harsh training against interrogations, but unless a shinobi specifically trains against my type of jutsu, it's nearly impossible to block, at least, for long."

Rose looked impressed, "can you give a demonstration?"

Ino nodded, "it'll be a bit tough here because you're all expecting it, but I can try. Any volunteers?"

Rose held her hand up, obviously not willing others to be put in harm's way in case something happened. Ino slid her chair over, making sure she was directly across Rose, "I can't do the full interrogation jutsu, but what I can do will certainly help even at a basic level. Just stay still and try not to fight me when you feel the invasion. Ready?" Rose nodded and leaned back in her chair, keeping eye contact with Ino, " _mind transfer jutsu!_ I watched as Ino slumped back into her chair. I watched Rose tense slightly, closing her eyes as Ino's jutsu started to work on her. I felt myself begin to tense, wanting to jump up and protect Rose, but I forced myself to remain in my chair. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Naruto had gravitated towards me, indicating he would've stopped me if I proceeded. That forced me to relax more, not wanting to hurt Ino nor Roza. A few silent moments later, I saw Ino shift in her seat and open her eyes. My eyes flickered to Rose, who sat, looking somewhat dumbfounded as she stared at the blonde across from her.

"So, what did you see?" Adrian seemed rather interested in what was going on.

I felt Ino's stare and turned to her. She looked somewhat sad and rather concerned. At that moment, I had a feeling I knew what she saw, "that seems like a weird point to fixate one, Miss Yamanaka."

She shrugged, "can't help it. I usually use the ability to find information, especially if a memory triggers an emotion. I feel a pull towards it and dive further. If I had my full set up, then I would've just sifted through until I found information surrounding the link I was looking for. When I'm in a mind like Rose's, it's harder to just fixate unless it's emotionally linked."

"Someone like Rose's mind?" Christian snorted, "it's a scary place, I'm sure, but even she's got her limitations."

Ino shook her head, "no, she's got some serious mental blocks in place. Granted, they aren't fully used, but I can see that she's had them for years and they were much stronger."

Rose laughed, "must be left over from the bond. I thought most, if not all, would've been gone by now. I haven't had to use them in years!"

"Bond?" Sakura leaned forward now, interested in learning something different. Even Sasuke seemed more interested than he had a few minutes before.

Rose turned her attention to Sakura and nodded, "yeah. When I was 15, I was in a car accident with Lissa and her family. On a technical basis, she was the only survivor, but she used her newly formed abilities to bring me back from the brink of death. It caused a bond to form between us. Due to that bond, I was privy to her mind; sometimes I would even be pulled into her mind, especially in moments of high emotion. I had to learn to block that, and a few nasty side effects of that bond. Uber fun," Rose rolled her eyes, but Sakura nodded.

"Sounds entertaining. What sort of side effects?"

"Mostly ghosts?"

"Awesome…"

"Pfft. You'd think, but no. Not awesome. Seeing those ghosts also meant a splitting headache and a sense of severe anxiety."

Naruto tilted his head to the side, "because you saw the dead?"

"No, the first time it happened, I had just the headache and saw shadows moving in my periphery. The longer I had it, the more prominent the shadows got until I saw faces, some I recognized, many I didn't."

"You still didn't answer my question, what did you see, Miss. Yamanaka?"

Ino turned her full attention to Adrian, "I saw her capture and time under his control several years ago, when he was a Strigoi you call them right? Yeah, Strigoi," she pointed to me. The Guardians and two Novices stilled. The Novices had never heard of this and seemed rather shocked and somewhat appalled. I was surprised to see the shinobi look at me with some level of sympathy, except Naruto just looked at me with an understanding smile.

"I'm used to those looks," I motioned to the Novices, "but looks of sympathy? That's unusual."

Naruto smiled at me sadly, "we've all done things that I'm sure most would find disgusting. Death is common in our world, so finding out you turned, whether by choice or not, is not as shocking to us. Shinobi have killed their fellow brothers in battle for less. Or at least those who were once their brothers. Revenge and anger are commonplace for us. For many, it was the spark that ignited and ended it all. Besides, many of us have made poor decisions, and some of us were not in control when those choices were made. I know I certainly have."

I raised my eyebrow, but before I could ask him more about it, Sakura jumped up, "well, Ino specializes in mind transfers, which help with interrogation and whatnot, I, on the other hand, specialize in medical ninjutsu. Although, I am pretty strong as well."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lissa perk up at the mention of healing, "you're a healer? As am I! Although, I'm guessing healing doesn't take such a large a toll on you as it does me…"

Sakura tilted her head and shrugged, "I don't know much about the toll it takes on you but depending on the amount of healing and what I'm doing, it varies for me. Minor injuries like cuts, scrapes, most burns, and sprains take very little out of me. Larger injuries like breaks, poisonings, large burns, and chakra drain take a lot more. The only one who I could heal large injuries on, without major side-effects, would probably be Naruto. I would accredit that to his accelerated healing though. I will say that I can't completely heal everything, but enough that it won't be a hinderance for the healed to keep fighting or to run away."

"What about your strength? You said you were fairly strong," Rose had leaned towards me during the conversation between Ino and Adrian, but now had moved back to give her undivided attention to Sakura.

Before Sakura could answer, Sasuke leaned back in his chair and quietly spoke, "I highly doubt you want to see that unless you have to. Trust me."

Rose turned to him, "well then, Hot Shot. What can you do? Besides be broody and snarky. We have plenty of that with Sparky Pants over there," Rose motioned to Christian who just rolled his eyes.

Sasuke looked at her then shrugged, "I have a sharingan and my main chakra natures are lightning and fire."

"Care to elaborate?"

"No."

Naruto just shook his head and turned to Rose, "he's a bit antisocial, especially to those he doesn't know or trust. Since he doesn't know you, or any of you, he doesn't trust you and won't divulge much. I can tell you he's loyal and he's very strong. I can vouch for his abilities. As for myself, I use a few different things. Mainly: I can create multiple shadow clones, have wind chakra nature, and, how I discovered where the enemy is, I used something called Sage Mode."

Rose glared at Sasuke for a moment before bringing her attention to Naruto, "Sage Mode? And you can make shadow clones? How are fake clones helpful?"

Naruto shook his head again, "no. Shadow clones are actually more 'real' than regular clones. Whereas regular clones are useful for distraction and confusion because they aren't solid nor much more than an external copy of the ninja, shadow clones are literal copies of the ninja. I can use them to gather intel and information because when a shadow clone is removed from existence, anything they learned gets transferred into me. This, unfortunately, also means any damage they sustained is transferred to me as well. I can handle it due to, as Sakura pointed out, my accelerated healing abilities and the fact that my chakra reserves are somewhat large."

Rose nodded, "what makes you so different with your ch-chakra?" She looked confused at the word but pressed on, "and healing?"

Naruto looked at the other shinobi once more before taking a deep breath and looking forward at Rose, "part of it is due to my clan, as I've recently learned. However, another part of it is due to Kurama. Before I continue, all of you here must understand, this is something somewhat known in our world, but the full extent is still kept quiet as much as possible. For me to tell you, it could put you in a lot of danger because a lot of shinobi are still after this. If you don't want to hear this, please leave now."

I turned my attention to the Guardians and Novices. I didn't mind the Novices hearing about some of the dangers and information, but I did not want them to be put in danger over this, "while you are still considered equals here, this is beyond your league. Go back to your quarters. All of you." The Guardians nodded and stood, bowing to the Queen. The Novices followed suit, albeit slower and a bit clumsily. "Don't worry about your time either, Guardian Palmer. I will inform Hans of this decision and why." She nodded once again and the 4 left the room. I turned towards Sydney and Adrian, "you don't have to stay, you know?"

"No freaking way am I leaving! This is exciting! Besides, I'm certain that the Big Bad Guardian'll keep my wife and I safe," Adrian winked at me and I rolled my eyes and sat back.

Naruto looked at each of us individually, "fine then. One thing I didn't mention before: there are certainly other shinobi involved. I can't get a full read on them, meaning they might either have no dark intentions or they are being masked, somehow. Both are as likely as the other, which means these shinobi are smart, powerful, and very dangerous. The Strigoi won't be much of a problem for us, but the shinobi are our targets. Now, as for what I can do and where my chakra and accelerated healing abilities also come from. As I said, Kurama adds to those extra abilities. To answer: 'who is Kurama?' as I'm sure you all are wondering, he is a tailed-beast that resides within me." He turned toward me and smiled sadly, "that's what I meant about understanding not being in control when you hurt someone, especially someone close to you. When I was younger, I had no control over the tailed beast that resides within me. He would let his chakra seep through when I was feeling extremely strong emotions, especially negative ones: usually anger and fear. At one point, I managed to control it, somewhat, and be aware of my actions, but even then, I couldn't hold it for long, especially as it grew, and I got older."

Rose tilted her head, "what's changed?"

Naruto smiled, "Kurama did. Or at least, our relationship changed. During… During a low time, I finally proved to him that I was different than the other shinobi he had met over the years. I treated him like an equal, not as 'evil and anger incarnate' that many others had. He's powerful, but he's not evil. He was very, very angry at how the world treated him and didn't trust any mortal, except for his initial 'creator'. I don't blame him. I understand, to some extent, how he felt. A lot of people in the village ostracized me when I was a kid due to being Kurama's Jinchuriki, or Kurama's host."

"Is that dangerous then?"

"No. I will probably not use Kurama against Strigoi, seeing as that would give away our cover and is completely unnecessary, but I will probably need him to fight against the shinobi. I have to get a gauge of power from the enemy before I pull him out, however. Don't worry. I am confident that Sage Mode will be more than enough. Now then, can you tell us about yourselves and the Strigoi?"

Rose nodded, "as I mentioned when I picked you up at the airport, there are essentially 3 vampiric races. Two are living, and one is not really 'living'. To go further in depth, the living races are the Moroi and the Dhampir. The Moroi are living vampires: meaning they drink blood to survive, although they don't need a lot to survive, can and do eat, again not much since most of their intake comes from blood, can go out in sunlight for a limited amount of time before they are weakened and burned by it, and use magic- one of five elemental magics: Fire, Water, Air, Earth, and Spirit. They are born, grow, age, and die," Rose waved her hand toward Lissa, Christian, and Adrian. She returned her attention to the shinobi, "as you saw from the Council, there are 12 royal families that oversee and govern our people. Like a democracy lead by a monarch instead of a president. That reference might be lost on you… More like the elders of your village and your Hokage oversee the village." Naruto nodded at this, his eyes lighting up with recognition of a very basic run down of Moroi government. Rose then continued, "the rest of the Moroi population consists of non-royals. As the 'title' suggests, they don't come from any of the 12 royal families. That makes up the majority of the Moroi population, but such is life. Anyway, the other race is the Dhampir. Most servants, staff, and workers are Dhampir. We have the best of both races we descend from. We are half Moroi, half human: and inherit the best of each- heightened senses, reflexes, stamina, speed, healing, the works."

Sasuke snorted, interrupting Rose's lecture, "seems wrong that the strong ones would be considered 'lower' than the weak. Most of our leaders are the strongest shinobi around. I suppose the feudal lords aren't very powerful, so that would compare to the structure here, but most of the civilians in our world at least hold some level of respect towards the shinobi. No matter how they view our work and skills, they still show a level of decorum. Oh well, difference of worlds, I suppose. Please continue."

Rose shot Sasuke a dangerous look before continuing, "Strigoi are the last and most dangerous. They are closer to what people think of when they hear 'vampire'. They are immortal, pale, evil, and created. They are created in one of 2 ways: either by choice or by force. By choice, a Moroi decides to completely drain another-human, Dhampir, Moroi, doesn't matter- and basically sells their soul in exchange for immortality and all that comes with it. The second is more common because it's by force. A Strigoi nearly drains the blood from their victim then gives that victim some of their own blood instead. They do not eat or really drink anything other than blood. They drink to kill, and many are rather animalistic about it. To distinguish them from the Moroi, two main features stick out: they are sickly white and have red-ringed eyes. They do not have emotions beyond hunger and anger. They hunger for power and blood and will stop at nothing to get what they want. There are only three ways to kill a Strigoi: decapitation, fire, and a silver stake through the heart. Anything else will just slow them down or stun them. I'm not sure if I could get permission to give each of you a stake, but I can look into if you want me to."

Naruto shook his head, "I don't think we'll need it. Even if we can stun the Strigoi, you guys could probably come behind and take them out the rest of the way. Besides, for Sasuke and myself, we won't need it due to our abilities and jutsu. Ino might be able to just turn a Strigoi on the others and cause some serious confusion. As for Sakura, well, she can create a major distraction. It's up to you guys, how you want to move us around, but generally, because of Ino and Sakura's abilities, they stay close to whoever we need to protect or guard. Both are extremely sufficient in hand-to-hand combat and are close-range fighters generally. Sasuke has the furthest range, but even him and I are both more comfortable in close quarters."

Rose nodded, taking this into consideration. After a few moments she stood, "well, it's getting late, or, rather, early. I have a late shift, so I need to get to that. Guardian Belikov, can you show our guests back to their quarters? Naruto, I will see you at sunset to go over logistics and my generalized schedule. For now, I bid you all goodnight."

With that, we all made our way towards our destinations: Adrian and Sydney left hand in hand towards their townhome closer to the shopping district. They were very happy there, having found a small community that was more than happy to bring Sydney and her talents in. I watched as Lissa and Christian walked towards the feeders that were next door before they would head to bed. I saw a Guardian was on the other side of the door to take over for Guardians Palmer and Sanders. He flashed me a confused look when he saw the couple alone, but I shook my head and nodded towards the shinobi. He nodded in understanding and followed the couple silently. I turned toward the shinobi, noticing none of them seemed to feel the same level of fatigue as the others. In fact, Naruto was rocking on his feet, looking around rather eagerly, indicating his elevated energy level. I shook my head and gestured for the shinobi to follow. I knew they had been to their quarters and had probably memorized the way there, but we wanted to make sure they were seen with a Guardian, at least until Rose gave them official orders, just so they wouldn't be constantly questioned.

The shinobi were looking around with curiosity clearly etched on their face, except for Sasuke, who just looked impassive and was staring straight ahead. I kept my focus forward but turned my question towards Sasuke, "so, I understand that you don't like to divulge information with those you don't trust, and I don't blame you, but knowing something about you will go a long way with helping Guardian Hathaway with where to place you."

Sasuke turned his focus on me and fell into step with myself, "it's not you nor Guardian Hathaway I don't trust. No one in that room was specifically un-trustworthy, but the walls have ears. Or eyes. Or whatever." He sighed and stopped, forcing the rest of us to stop with him and he directed his eye to me, "to put it simply, I don't trust those that use their power and influence to put themselves above others and put down those they deem unworthy. I- We have all seen what happens when those in power determine the worth of others. Including their lives and wellbeing. I'm not saying that any of the Guardians would do that, nor would the Queen herself do that. But… Most of the Council… Well… Like I said, I know what happens when power corrupts. Don't take it personal."

With that he continued down the path towards their accommodations, but before he could get too far, I grabbed his forearm. I felt Sasuke stiffen and saw the other shinobi fall back warily, waiting to see what would happen. I ignored the others and kept my voice as calm and quiet as possible, "how about this. I have a few hours tomorrow between my morning classes and evening shift. Meet me at the Moroi training field at midnight after you speak to Guardian Hathaway and we can talk there. I can assure you that those you don't want or need to listen will be nowhere near there." I pulled my hand away slowly and let my hands fall to my sides, keeping my calm air about me. Sasuke eyed me for a few tense moments before he nodded and turned towards their quarters once again. I watched them as they entered the room and he silently closed the door. But not before he gave me a small smile, his visible eye relaxing slightly, indicating he accepted what I said, whether or not he really trusted my words would be seen tomorrow if and when he showed up.

I walked back to mine and Rose's rooms, rubbing my eyes as I went. I was tired from the day and needed time to process the information I had heard throughout the evening. I realized very quickly that these 4 shinobi were much stronger than they let on in the first place, despite running through the basics of their abilities. I could only hope that we could make allies of these shinobi, because if this is what the Hidden Continent could produce, then if the pact between their world and ours ever broke, we would be in serious trouble and heading towards a very bloody and very one-sided war. I shook the thoughts off and got ready for bed, pulling the covers close and fell asleep, ready to take on whatever happened tomorrow.

* * *

 **A.N: Hey, hey, hey! Here's the next chapter! This is a filler/explanation chapter to sort of set up what's coming. To guest reviewer** Uuuhhh: **I hope this helps show what I'm planning on doing. I'm not going to power dump or "godify" them either. I think they have learned a bit of being subtle when it comes to power usage. We will get a bit more quick now that the scene's been set. Again, let me know what y'all think!**

 **Disclaimer (also, disclaimer for last chapter): I own nothing but the plot and a few characters!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **strangemind**


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N.: heeyo kiddies! Sorry this took so long, things are ramping up! Still some filler and background, but we're nearly done setting the scene!**

 **A quick note for anyone curious if I'm hinting at it: No, Rose is NOT, I repeat, NOT pregnant in my story! If you guys want more explanation, I am more than willing to go into it, but it doesn't effect this story at all. And, for anyone worried about it, Rose and Dimitri will stay just fine in this story as well. (Just in case anyone's wondering).**

 **Anyway, that's enough rambling from me, enjoy! Oh, and I don't own VA or Naruto (just the plot and a few characters.)**

* * *

Chapter 4

I woke up to an incessant ringing near my ear. I groaned and shifted, looking at my phone with irritation. I picked it up and grumbled into the phone before throwing off the covers and making a tornado of clothes that would make Rose proud. I hadn't set an alarm last night and overslept a bit. Rose hadn't heard from me during her overnight shift and called to make sure I was alright. I quickly got ready and ran down the stairs and hall. Rose met me with a coffee and a muffin, a small smile on her face, "well, I never thought I'd see the day where Guardian 'No Fun' would actually oversleep and be late for once! I think the only other time I saw you this late was when you had stayed up most of the night with Alexei after his first night with us and the nightmares when we were bringing him here. Granted, neither of us slept much, but still." Her face softened, and she gave me a kiss before shoving the food and drink in my hand and pushing me towards the gym, "luckily, you've learned how to run with 'Rose Time' and always set an alarm 30 minutes earlier than necessary. You're plenty early love. I'll see you this afternoon. I need some serious rest."

I turned back to her and kissed her more firmly this time, "ah, I knew there was a reason I kept you around."

She slapped my arm playfully, "and here I thought it was my charm and good looks, not my 'logic'."

I grinned and winked before kissing her cheek and walking into the gym, my mouth full of a delicious poppy-seed muffin from a wonderful bakery that Rose often frequents. I leaned against the wall and finished my coffee just as the first Novices showed up. I threw the cup and muffin paper in the trash and had them set up the equipment that would be needed for the day. We had decided that they were well beyond the normal curriculum at this point and had started working on more advanced moves, including making all the Novices wear weights or tightened bands to restrict movements. As the Novices finished trickling in, they ran through their warm ups and gathered around. I showed them the new equipment and the eager teens put the weights and bands on, ready to try to train and spar with the extra pull.

* * *

A few hours later, I had packed away the equipment, letting the students take the weights and bands with them. I told them to wear them when they were off or studying, at least, for now. Once they got used to the changes, they were to wear them while they shadowed and worked with the Guardians. They needed to be able to move at their normal speeds with the restrictions, which would allow them to move faster and have more stamina in normal situations. Some of the braver students asked for larger weights, but had quickly returned them before leaving class, agreeing to start at the original weight we had given them and work up to the higher amount. I chuckled to myself as I made my way to a small deli nearby and grabbed lunch. I received a text from Rose stating that she was awake and would meet up for lunch then head off to the field with me. She looked a bit better but was rather disgruntled. Apparently, Eddie had come barging in in a panic, looking for Jill and unable to find her. He was hoping she had seen her and Rose quickly got ready to help find her. It turned out that her and Lissa had the morning off and decided last minute to have a girls' only morning between the two of them. Rose told me she nearly chewed Eddie and Jill's heads off: the former for waking her and the latter for not informing Eddie of her plans, no matter how last minute they were. It was rare that Rose would get that angry at her friends, even rarer that she would shout at Eddie or Jill, let alone the two of them.

"Ugh… I HATE being up early!" Rose and I were making our way to the grounds, she was still irritated, but I just chuckled.

"Milaya, it's technically not early. It's the middle of the Moroi day." I was playing with fire and I knew it. I felt her practically burning a hole into the side of my skull, but I hurried forward to greet the shinobi before she could retort.

Right as I reached the teens, I felt a hand come crashing down on my lower arm and gripping it tightly. I felt the laughter threaten to break through but held it together long enough for Rose to turn me around, "I know that we are able to stay awake for quite awhile, but for the last few days, I have gotten less than 12 hours' sleep combined. So, don't start with me Guardian Belikov, or you will be spending the night on the couch…"

Her voice was low and threatening. I felt the laughter that had threatened to consume me earlier, fall back down when I frowned, "are you okay?"

She nodded and sighed, "yeah, I'm fine. Just a lot going on with getting everything ready, as you know. I've been pulling too many shifts, I think. We have tonight off though, maybe we could relax and do something together, just the two of us?"

I nodded then turned my attention to the shinobi who had, unfortunately, been listening to our conversation. They looked at us with curiosity and I shrugged, "she's not a morning person. She was woken up rather early and tends to be grumpy when she doesn't get enough sleep. Anyway, now that we're here, are you willing to be less… selective in the information you share than last night?"

Naruto nodded, "since it's rather quiet out here, we can show you a few things, if you'd like? That might be more helpful for times you leave Court. I'm assuming that until things have been dealt with, at least one of us will be accompanying the Queen should she leave the protection of the wards. I know you didn't mention that at our meeting this morning, Rose."

I saw my wife nod and shift her weight on one leg, crossing her arms across her chest, "I know you mentioned that your main goal is to gather intel on this group and take them out, but it seems our foe is rather patient. Especially with the Strigoi being part of the equation, they are not always the most patient creatures. Regardless, knowing that there's at least one of you with the Queen when she leaves will make things easier to loop in. I have a feeling that there's more here at play than even the shinobi agreeing to help the Strigoi. They are too close to Court to not know what's going on, but we are not stupid either. I think they are getting intel from someone inside of Court. What surprises me, however, is that they didn't attack before you arrived. Meaning, they knew you were involved, but they were unsure of who to expect or if you were here already. I'm guessing they saw or now know who they are up against and are just waiting for the right time to attack."

"That's quite the hunch, Rose." Ino walked forward and tilted her head to the side.

Rose shrugged and sighed, "I wish I could go on more than gut feelings though. Something isn't sitting well, that's all I know. I know we're missing something important, but I'm unsure how we will manage to gather that without the enemy finding out about our intentions."

Sasuke stepped forward, his face as expressionless as ever, "I think that we need to get ahold of one of them. Doesn't matter if they're a grunt or not. If we can get ahold of one, I bet Ino could get some information out of them and we can go from there. If we can get a little closer to them, we might be able to determine if the shinobi are sensory-types or not and what we're dealing with. If we can get close enough, we might be able to fish out their abilities, but that would mean going under cover. We could go for that, but that might be dangerous at this point. Especially since the shinobi are only working with the Strigoi, bar whomever they are seeking out information from within Court, we wouldn't be able to mask our chakras if they were sensory of any kind. Also, many shinobi just have that sort of 'feeling' that another one of them is nearby. At home, that's normal seeing as there are shinobi all around, but here, it'd be more difficult to mask than our chakras."

Rose nodded and rubbed the back of her neck, "those are great points as well. I think, for now, we will go with keeping on the defense. We might be able to set up a few traps and see how things go. Naruto, you said you can make shadow clones right? Can you make those clones match nature and disguise them? I don't want to put Lissa in danger, if I can avoid it. If you can make a shadow clone to her likeness, to a tee, then we might be able to fool them into coming out. We could capture one of them and, if you're up to it, Ino, interrogate them. I can always try my method to interrogation, but they might respond more to yours?" She looked at Naruto and Ino respectively.

Naruto nodded and thought for a moment, "would there be a reason for the Queen to leave anytime soon? If it's too far out of the standard deviation, it might be suspect. Especially if there is an enemy nearby."

Rose smiled, "as a matter of fact, there is something later this week. I know there's a 'small' event taking place at a Royal's house a hours away. We will have to drive from heret to the Royal's house, so that could be the opportune moment. We will have to bring Lissa along, considering I doubt you or your shadow clone would want to deal with the politics that she does, but if we could disguise her on the way to and from the event, that could work."

Naruto smirked, "sounds like a plan! Okay, so now that we have that… What can we show you?"

I moved forward before Rose could ask her questions, "before we start… I am curious about that arm. Will it be a problem since it's clearly been damaged? We can have Lissa look at it. Or, is that more than we need to know?" I saw the looks of apprehension fall on the shinobi, although they were each rather quick to cover it up, none as quick as Sasuke, of course.

Naruto just shook his head, "naw, I'll be just fine with the injury. Don't even worry about it!"

I looked at him for a few moments before relenting, "alright, what do you want to show us?"

* * *

Another two hours and I found myself back in our rooms, reading a book. Rose had gotten it for me a few weeks ago when she noticed I had read my current stock of books so much that the bindings were literally falling apart. I took a deep breath and set the book down, unable to get my mind off of what those shinobi showed us earlier. I had a feeling that what they had shown Rose and myself was just the surface of what they could do.

 _Sasuke was fairly forthcoming with information, and even let us see his sharingan in his right eye. I was curious about his left, but he kept that covered, although he assured me that if it came down to a fight, whatever was hidden under his eye patch would be of use. Sakura offered to show case some of her strength, but Naruto had warned her to keep it 'quiet'. I was nearly in shock when she managed to throw me a few feet away from the power of her punch to my stomach. She offered to heal the already forming bruise, but I shrugged it off, not wanting her to heal something when I had literally asked for it in the first place. Surprisingly enough, her punch didn't hurt as much as I thought it would, whether that was her holding back or redirecting the power, or because Ino had warned me to keep as loose as possible instead of tightening up as I usually would. I took her at her word and forced my muscles to relax as far as I could, but not enough in time for Sakura's assault since I still felt the punch. Naruto offered his shadow clone abilities, making 3 perfect, well, clones, of himself. I watched as he even transformed 1 into the spitting image and likeness of Lissa, while another was transformed into Rose. They even matched their basic personalities, although it didn't go very deep, considering Naruto didn't know the two girls very well having only known them for a few days. They were able to pull off their general attitude, walking habits, and speech patterns: clone Lissa/Naruto being demure but powerful in presence, while clone-Rose/Naruto had a sharp and quick tongue, even going so far as to put her/his hands on her/his hips and shoot Sasuke the same glare Roza had last night. I couldn't help but smirk at the replication. I turned around to see my Roza laughing and high-fiving her/him and placing a hand on her/his back in a half hug, both of them shooting matching grins at Sasuke-the clone shooting a 'victory' sign in front of her/him._

I sighed and shook myself out of my thoughts before closing the book. I heard the door to our bedroom open and close, revealing a very beautiful Rose in a knee-length burgundy dress and a pair of black (gladiator? I think is what she had called them before) sandals that entangled around her legs, ending just half way up her calves. She had her hair pulled back in an artful messy ponytail, a few strands of hair framing her face. I saw she had on that damn cherry lip gloss and a dark smile crossed my features as I sighed. Some things never change.

I stood up and held my hand out to her, giving her a kiss on her knuckles, "you are beautiful _milaya,_ I am still so stunned that you are mine. Every day feels like the first with you, in the best of ways, of course. Although, some days I wonder if my control hadn't been so iron clad back then," I smirked towards the end, watching as delicious shivers ran through her at those words.

"Well, play your cards right, and you might be able to find out. Maybe we could 'go back in time' and see what would've happened," she winked at me and I groaned as I leant down to kiss her neck, nipping it lightly.

"You will be the death of me, Roza."

"At least you'll have gone out doing what you love!" She giggled and grabbed her purse from the table.

I rolled my eyes and walked to the door, holding it open for her, then closed and locked it behind us. After that, I took her hand in mine, entwining my fingers with hers as we walked down the hall. We had planned a small dinner at a nice place we had found a few years ago. It was a little Italian place that had become our date spot on the few times we could manage to get a few hours together. Once, we even brought Alexei with us, letting our date night basically become family night. He had begged us to bring him back when he was off school next time, so we agreed. We spent the evening before sunrise enjoying each other's company. Although, I admit that seeing her in that beautiful dress, our earlier conversation, and the slight buzz I was feeling from the alcohol I had consumed were starting to get to me. I quickly was getting desperate to leave the restaurant and go to a more private setting, so I could properly enjoy my wife's efforts and thank her for her hard work. Once the check was paid, I took her hand in mine, leading her outside. Once we stepped out, the sun was beginning to rise, making the mood shift once again- from sultry to more subdued. Suddenly, I wasn't in such a hurry to get home, but wanted to just enjoy each other's company and appreciate her in the here and now. Rose noticed my shift and squeezed my hand before leading me towards a small garden nearby. We walked around the gardens in silence. I wrapped my arms around her waist once she stopped in front of a large oak tree, its leaves dark green, nearly black in the early morning light of the sunrise. I kissed the top of her head and placed my chin against her, feeling completely content and at peace, something only she and Alexei managed to bring out of me.

She turned around and kissed me softly, "thank you for this. I have a feeling things are gonna get crazy soon, so it's nice to have some time for just us."

I nodded and smiled softly at her, placing a strand of hair behind her ear before cupping her cheek, my thumb gently stroking against her skin. I gave her another kiss before pulling her back towards the entry-way, "come on. I think it's time we head home." She nodded and took my hand in hers again, linking our fingers together as we made our way back home.

The closer we got, the more tense the atmosphere became again, just as it had before we left the restaurant. I smirked to myself, realizing we might not be getting as much sleep as she had originally hoped. I opened the door for her once we returned. Once she was inside, I closed the door, gathering her into my arms and practically slamming her into the door, eager to see where this evening would go. I captured her lips with my own, practically begging for entrance, which she granted with a soft moan. I pulled her closer, if that was possible, feeling her soft skin against my rough hands. I knew I could never get tired of this feeling, as every time was like the first, if not better. I forced myself to slow down so we could enjoy this, because she deserved to be admired and worshiped like the piece of artwork she was: beautiful, mysterious, and timeless. She always drove me insane, but also was my absolute best friend and closest confidant. I could trust her with anything, and I gave her everything-my heart, my name, my life, my family- all in return for her smiles, laughter, heart, and beauty. She never had to give me anything back, but she returned it all with fervor, sharing her life, love, heart, and mind with me. I gazed at her, feeling overwhelmed at this revelation, just as I did every time I thought it. I had long ago accepted her heart also belonged to Lissa, but I also realized that there was one other man in her life that towered over even me, and I loved her all the more for it. She adored Alexei, just as I did, but there were days that I think she loved her more than I, and I couldn't be happier. We had chosen that little boy and he had chosen us. He wanted to come home with us and become part of our family just as much as we wanted him. He told me once that the instant he saw us, he prayed every night that we would pick him from the other children because he just knew that he could love us the most and we would love him as much in return. I felt her hands slowly descend from my chest and came back into the present. I ran my fingers through her hair as I guided to our room, ready to enjoy a rather sleepless night, in the best way possible.

* * *

I woke up, feeling Rose shift beside me. I turned and grabbed my phone, blinking a few times to see what or who had awoken me. I mentally cursed when I saw the time flash before my phone buzzed again. I was about to ignore it when I saw Christian's name above the number. I carefully pulled myself from around Rose's form and slipped into the living room before answering the call, "Belikov."

Christian's irritate voice rang loud and clear through the ear piece, "you need to wake up your wife and bring her obnoxious ass to the kitchens, now. I will not tolerate her peons making a mess in here! She has ten minutes or else I'll cook her where she stands and feed her to herself!"

I rolled my eyes at Christian's threat, knowing that one, he loved Rose like a sister, and two, if he ever wanted to stay in Lissa's good graces, he would never knowingly hurt her friend, regardless of his relation to her. I would know because she had told me that very thing if I ever intentionally hurt Rose again. I had asked Rose about it afterwards and she laughed, telling me that she had said something VERY similar to Christian after they had reconciled their relationship once she was crowned queen. I rubbed my face and sighed, leaning against the wall next to the bedroom door, "so, what did her, as you put them, 'peons' do to ruin your kitchen?"

"Naruto started searching for ramen, couldn't find it, then coerced Sasuke to help him look. Apparently, he's convinced that we hid it somewhere in the kitchen."

I was about to respond when I heard quiet giggling from my left. I turned and saw Rose's eyes shining bright with mischief. I raised and eyebrow at her and mouthed: _is this your doing?_

She snickered and nodded, her eyes shining with tears from holding back her amusement.

I shot her a glare and sighed, "Rose will be ready in a few and will sort this out. I'll make sure of it."

"You'd better. Stupid fuc- HEY! GET DOWN FROM THERE!" Christian cut himself off and ended the call rather quickly.

Once the phone was away from my ear and clearly not in use anymore, Rose burst into near hysterics. She doubled over, cackling, and clutching her stomach, "so… d-did he find it?" She was gasping for breath. I just stared at her until she finally managed to bring it down, wiping her eyes as she sighed, "oh man! That's great! Totally worth it to see Sparky lose his shit over his precious kitchen! Although, I didn't physically see it. That would have been the icing on the cake!"

I sighed and shook my head, "get dressed. What did you tell them anyway?" I followed her back into the bedroom as she began to gather clothes for the day.

She looked at me after she had gotten her underwear on and smirked, "I told Naruto that Christian had real ramen in the kitchen, but he was hiding it because he wanted it all to himself. Even if he were to ask Christian, he wouldn't get it from him. I told Naruto to scour the kitchen until he found it, and even ask for help until he found it."

"When did you manage to tell him that?"

Rose just smirked at me after she had pulled on her black jeans, placing a hand on her hip cocking it to the side, "guardian secrets, Comrade."

I rolled my eyes and sighed as I pulled on my shirt, "I AM a Guardian, remember?"

Rose laughed as she threw on a lace-trimmed tank top and pulled a cardigan over her shoulders, "okay, how about 'female secrets'. Is that better?"

I shook my head and held open the door, "c'mon. You've got a kitchen to clean and I must teach. By the way, have you solidified the plan for this 'surprise' attack?"

I watched the mirth die on her face as it grew hard, showing her shift into 'guardian mode', "yes. I think I've figured a way to make it seem like the 'fake' Lissa will be open and the 'real' Lissa heavily guarded. Long story short, having the double will be the perfect cover for our counter-attack. I don't want to divulge much more, just in case Sasuke is right and the walls do have ears. This evening, we are gathering to go over the convoy 'details'. Once we've determined that, all that's left is springing the traps. I have already discussed the plan at length with the shinobi. The rest you'll just have to trust me and them with."

I nodded and smiled softly, "I trust you, Roza. Always have, and always will."

She smiled at me, although it was harder than her usual smiles, indicating her 'Guardian mode' was on for the remainder of the day. I nodded internally and decided to follow suit, pulling into myself as we entered the kitchen. I felt my resolve shift as I took in the mess and two shinobi getting a severe scolding from Christian, who was red with anger. It looked like he had just finished reaming the two boys once we had entered. Christian's eyes locked on Rose and he exploded on her, "I can't believe you put them up to this! Look at my kitchen! It'll take hours, HOURS to clean this up! I would ask 'how could you' but I already know the answer! You are insufferable and selfish, only thinking of your stupid pranks and games instead of those who actually use the tools you are so keen on destroying!" His chest was heaving after his small rant.

Rose raised her eyebrows before bowing her head, "apologies, _Lord_ Ozera. I only told them that you were hiding ramen in here, and since Naruto seemed to enjoy your cooking so much, I figured him getting you to cook some for him would be appropriate. I mean, they are the _guests_ after all."

If I didn't know Rose as well as I did, I would have said she was contrite, but I did, and I could see her irritation at being talked down to like that.

Christian seemed to notice the sarcasm too. He bristled more before lowering his voice to deadly levels, "you may be Lissa's best friend, _Rosemarie_ , but even that won't stop me from punishing you should you _ever_ feel the need to pull something as _childish_ as this again, especially with me. You've been warned. Now, you _will_ clean this mess up, by yourself. I will be checking in with you in an hour and this place better be spotless by the time I return," he reached for his watch and set a timer before walking out.

Rose narrowed her eyes at him, "but you said this will take hours to clean!"

"Well, you better get started, Miss Hathaway!" He threw over his shoulder as he and the shinobi walked out, going their separate ways. I saw Sakura and Ino standing to the left, near the door, looking irritated at the two boys. I saw Sasuke looked annoyed and Naruto looked disappointed, probably sad that he had been duped into this prank and that there was no ramen.

Rose shot daggers into Christian's back before pulling off her cardigan and pulling back her hair. She began to pile dishes to be cleaned before picking up pots, pans, and numerous boxes and cans to be placed back in the pantries. I stepped forward to help her, but she waved me way, "go. Teach your class. I'll finish this up and meet you tonight for the briefing," her voice sounding flat, showing her anger at Christian and probably herself.

I shook my head and walked out, knowing Christian was well within his right to be angry at Rose, but also knowing how hurt and angry Rose was for being called childish and selfish. I knew had Rose pulled this with someone else, or even on Christian in a different setting, he would've been annoyed but not as angry. Hell, if it had been a different scenario, Christian would've been the first to help her in a prank or two. I knew once Christian cooled down, he would apologize for his words, but still reprimand her for trashing his kitchen. I just shook it off, leaving it for later while I made my way to the gym to teach the Novices.

* * *

"Dead," declared a small girl of 17. She was short and compact, nearly rivalling Janine's height, but she more than made up for it with surprising speed and stamina. Novice Renee Smith was a petite and wired thing; she was almost always able to beat even the largest and strongest of the male Novices she faced almost daily. She had just finished her final spar of the day, springing up and practically jumping with reserve energy. I shook my head and declared her the winner as she bent down to help up the shocked Novice from the floor. I dismissed the Novices and bent to gather my bag when I noticed Novice Smith standing off to the side, shuffling her feet. She looked at me and smiled brightly before making her way to me, "sorry, Guardian Belikov. I just wanted to remind you that I am on rotation with you today, so I wanted to check in with you before I showered and changed! If that's okay, that is…" she trailed off, looking at her shoes with a surprising show of shyness that I didn't think her capable of.

I shook my head, "of course, Novice Smith. I was just heading for the showers myself. Why don't you get yourself ready and we'll meet outside by the doors in say, fifteen?"

She smiled brightly and nodded vigorously before nearly running to the locker room, a bounce to her step as she went. I snickered to myself and headed to the men's locker room to shower and change into my uniform since I was on duty the rest of the day. I waited outside for Novice Smith, checking my phone for any messages that I missed while teaching. There were a few sour ones from Rose starting at irritated and ending at nearly nuclear in their context. The last one from her was more subdued, but I could tell she was still fuming from Christian's admonishment. I saw one from Eddie cautioning me that Rose was on a bit of a rampage, chalking it up to either the legendary "Hathaway rage" or hormones. He seemed to be joking about the hormone thing, but I shuddered, not wanting to deal with either one since both reasons were equally as fierce as the other. I had a few from Christian, again, starting irritated, but ending rather calm and almost apologetic. His final message was also a warning, stating that he might have let Rose simmer for too long while he cooled off. Rose normally wasn't this agitated, but I knew the childish comment could set her off for days, especially since I had used it against her when we were at the ski lodge all those years ago. I sighed and leaned against the wall, knowing I'd have to calm Rose down when I heard my phone go off. I quickly read the message: _Sorry to be so nasty. I know it's not your problem, but sometimes that shit pisses me off! UGH! I know that if Mr. Sparky Pants had been involved with pranking someone else he would've been all over it! Even if it was someone else's kitchen… Whatever, I need to cool off, literally and figuratively. Cleaning that fucking kitchen took all morning! I'll see you tonight. Love you!_

"Everything alright, Guardian Belikov?" I started, looking up from my phone to see Novice Smith looking at me, her amber eyes burning with curiosity.

"Yes. Ready to go?" I stowed my phone away and started to walk towards check-in for ward duty. This would be my final round of ward duty for awhile seeing as I would be with Christian pretty much 24-7 until this threat was dealt with, especially since we would be away from Court for the next few weeks off and on with Lissa and Rose with their rounds to and from the different Academies. I explained this to Novice Smith, and she nodded, happily agreeing to come along since she would be my 'shadow' for the next few weeks as well. I told her there might be a few times she'd have to stay here, but she was adamant about following me around and completing her assignments as required. I warned her of the potential dangers, but she shook her head, telling me that she was going to be a Guardian too, someday soon, and might encounter just as dangerous situations too. She'd rather learn now when she at least had a chance to survive with a senior such as myself or Rose around, than on her own where a slip-up could cost her either her life or her charge's. I realized that, despite her energy and her young attitude, she was at heart, a Guardian through and through.

I quickly checked in with the Guardian coming off shift and switched with him. I handed Novice Smith the walkie-talkie, letting her know that she would handle any coms that needed to occur between us and headquarters or the others walking along the perimeter. We were dealing with the front gates today, more exciting than the usual ward duty rounds, because we might interact with others as they came and went. This would also serve as a secondary purpose, I would be discreetly using this opportunity to look at potential patterns with entrances and exits made by whomever this 'spy' was. There was always a chance that the enemy shinobi were sneaking in and out without our notice, since they clearly knew ways around the wards and Guardians, especially if they had insider help. Even that, however, narrowed the list down. Very few had access or interest in the Guardian rosters or the ward renewal. Those that did, would have to be very careful considering that Hans was rather particular with his office. He kept the rosters on his computer and locked it down when he wasn't there. That told us the potential perp either snuck into the system (or had access) when the rosters were being determined. Whether by lottery or request, depended on the individual and need. Most often, ward duty was first given to any Guardians that had specific requests that needed to be covered later, or if they were being punished for some offense and were being 'volunteered' (or voluntold, as Rose calls it) for the rounds. After that, Guardians that didn't need or have a charge to watch/follow within the wards would put their name up and would be drawn on lottery. Considering how efficient the Guardians are, we all knew our shifts two weeks in advanced, in case we needed to switch last minute or could plan around our schedules.

Again, this did give plenty of time for the insider to relay information to the Strigoi and shinobi. Obviously, they were waiting for something since they had yet to strike, or the times they planned to strike, something had changed last minute. Rose had already planned to check old rosters and schedules, after she had finally cleaned the kitchens of course, so we could compare notes and information that either met up or seemed suspect. In the meantime, however, we had our 'surprise ambush set in motion to hopefully trap either the Strigoi or, even better, the shinobi to get more information. One final scenario entered my thoughts as we set up in the booth at the gates to Court: _What if there wasn't a leak, but one of the shinobi was already inside Court? They could have access to virtually anything without anyone knowing about it._ I shuddered at the thought, but realized, it was a very real possibility. They could've been relaying information and, if possible, masking themselves somehow. I knew we'd have to ask our allies if they noticed anyone that carried a strong chakra signature. That also meant that Sasuke's thoughts about the walls having ears could be more valid than we originally thought. I forced these thoughts aside for now, deciding to focus on the job at hand, then bring it up when I saw Rose tonight, after the briefing.


End file.
